Star-Ledger File PhotoArmy Sgt. Coleman Bean, an East Brunswick native, committed suicide on Sept. 6, 2008.
The House of Representatives this afternoon passed a suicide-prevention measure named for a New Jersey soldier who took his own life after serving two tours of duty in Iraq.

The legislation would require military counselors to remain in touch with Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who are in the Individual Ready Reserve, a pool of tens of thousands of service members who have returned to civilian life but who remain available for call-up.

IRR members, living off-base and isolated from their buddies, typically don’t have access to the same support services as active-duty and National Guard troops, something the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Rush Holt (D-12th Dist.), has called a critical void in the military’s suicide-prevention efforts.

Bean parachuted into northern Iraq during the 2003 invasion and served a second tour in 2007. Diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, he struggled to rebuild his life and had difficulty getting help from both the Army and the Department of Veterans Affairs.